Is Your Yoke Easy?

Children sometimes say and think the funniest things when they are beginning their faith journey. Christian author Joshua Jarvis writes about the time when, as a young boy, he first heard his pastor speak about Jesus' "yoke" being "easy." Scripture was being quoted, and young Joshua innocently assumed that his pastor was talking about egg yolks and over-easy eggs! The boy, of course, later learned the meaning of the word that was spelled yoke and how it is used symbolically in the Bible.

The dictionary defines a yoke as a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals at the neck, so that they can pull a load together. It can also be a frame that a person wears over their shoulders to carry a load. Accordingly, a yoke is used in the Bible as a metaphor for the burdens that we bear in our lives. In the Old Testament, a yoke is often used as a symbol for the burden of slavery or oppression that was endured by the people of Israel in Egypt and elsewhere (Leviticus 26:13, Deuteronomy 28:48, 1 Kings 12:4, 2 Chronicles 10:4, Ezekiel 34:27).

In the New Testament, we learn about God's plan to save those who believe in Jesus from sin and death. A yoke can be seen as a symbol for the burden of sin that we all carry. Jesus said to the crowds in Galilee, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). Because Jesus was without sin, He had no burden of sin (Hebrews 4:15, 1 Peter 2:22). Even though He was sinless, Jesus took on our burden of sin in an ultimate act of pure love when He died on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21, John 15:13). Jesus invites us to trust in Him and to follow Him. He will take on our heavy load of sin if we repent and ask to be forgiven. We can choose to accept or decline this invitation. We can wear our own burdensome yoke and be weighed down by our sins, or we can find peaceful rest by giving our burden of sin to Jesus and sharing His easier yoke.

We may also feel weighed down by worry, fear, anger, sadness, guilt, despair, and other negative emotions that arise during troublesome times in our lives. In some cases, these burdens may result from underlying sinful behavior. The Bible tells us that people of faith should take all of their burdens to God (Psalm 55:22, Psalm 46:1, 1 Peter 5:6-7, Philippians 4:6-7). We learn from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount that we should not waste time worrying about our fleeting mortal life, but that we should focus instead on doing God's will on earth (i.e., good deeds pleasing to God). We can then live in peace, sustained by the hope of everlasting life! Furthermore, Jesus tells us that if we put God first in our lives, all of our earthly needs will be provided for us (Matthew 6:33). So why worry?

The Disciple Group encourages you to exchange your yoke for Jesus' yoke by taking your sins and everything else to God in prayer. Jesus does not promise us a life free of burdens. But by the grace of God, He does promise to lighten our load and give us relief if we humbly seek Him and ask for His help. "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved" (Psalm 55:22).